


This Is Not Canon, But Here, Have Some UFbro Fluff

by MageOfLight



Category: Undertale
Genre: 10 years later, Fluff, Forgiveness, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other, non-canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-30 23:07:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8553106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MageOfLight/pseuds/MageOfLight
Summary: Years have passed and Red has recovered probably as much as he is ever going to thanks to the Swap Brothers' love and care. There is one last door he needs to close... but can he handle facing his past?This is an AU What If scenario. It'll never happen in the canon story, but I felt like giving the Fell Bros some closure. I won't be attaching it to the series for the reason that it isn't canon.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Until Death Do Us Part](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8572876) by [MageOfLight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MageOfLight/pseuds/MageOfLight). 



> As noted in the summery, this would never happen in the canon storyline for my series. Papyrus has no idea the machine in his basement lab can be used to jump universes, and it isn't finished, anyway. There's also the fact that Red has no actual interest in going back. As far as he is aware, there is no hope for his universe, much less his brother. He wouldn't put Papy and Blue at risk just to get that final bit of closure. Though there would be no actual danger to them, of course, what with the world of Underfell being changed by Frisk's actions, he also has no way of knowing this.

"...Red. are you really sure you want to do this?" Papyrus asked, hand curled around the smaller skeleton's. Blue was on Red's other side, a worried hand on his shoulder. All three were in Papyrus and Red's lab, eyes on the completed machine. The door was open, waiting for them to enter, but Red was hesitating. Did he want to do this? Could he handle going to face his brother?  
  
He had to, though. It was the one thing he hadn't been able to put behind him over the past ten years. Sure, he was happy with his two lovers, but... in some weird way, he missed his brother. He wanted to see him, if only to properly say goodbye, as he hadn't gotten to all those years ago. "...yeah, i'm sure. let's go before i freak out and have a meltdown or something stupid like that," he replied with a soft chuckle.  
  
Blue's hand cupped his cheek and turned his head to face him. "Your panic attacks are not stupid, Red. They are perfectly justified," he told Red in a gentle voice and Red felt his nervous, forced smile shift to something genuine.  
  
"yeah, i know. thanks for being concerned, but... i really do need to do this. let's go," Red replied, just as gently. He then tugged his lovers with him to the Machine.

\--------------------------------------------

Papyrus let out a lightly exasperated sigh as his small, human partner, now 22 years old, dragged him about. Honestly Frisk could be so excitable sometime. "Frisk, stop acting like a child, please," he said with a chuckle. Frisk pouted at him, then laughed softly. He smiled back at them, reaching with his free hand to stroke their hair.  
  
Honestly, he wasn't sure where he'd be without his human. They'd helped him recover after his brother's death. Even with all their work as ambassador for humans and monsters, they'd always, always made time for him. It just seemed natural when he realized he'd fallen in love with the little human. Undyne had teased him endlessly about it when she'd discovered him sending fond little glances at the human when they were working. However, he'd not come clean about loving them until the human had confessed to him shortly after their 20th birthday.  
  
Certainly, being both the human's lover and their bodyguard had it's challenges (...like both Toriel and Asgore threatening in private to rip him limb from limb without letting him dust if he so much as harmed a hair on their adopted human's head), but Frisk made it all worth it. They were far more than a monster like him deserved, and he was far less than the sweet human deserved... but he could see it literally radiating from them. They were happy with him, and he couldn't be happier with them. Still, some part of him he shoved ruthlessly down wished Sans could have met Frisk. He would have adored them, he knew.  
  
"Come on, edgyskellie," Frisk chirped, voice teasing even as they paused to lean into the gentle touch on their head. "I thought you wanted to get home." Oh, how he did. A long day of public speeches from his charismatic little lover, and secretly thwarting two attempts on their life (without even harming the intended assassins! The police were impressed with him for that when he handed them over), had left him sorely wanting the comforts of home. Well, they weren't far now. He let Frisk continue to happily pull him along, letting them guide him as he let his eyes fall to a relaxed half-mast.  
  
When they arrived, though, both human and skeleton froze. There were three monsters standing on the front path. One of them, even from behind, was painfully familiar. "S-Sans...?" he asked softly, hand letting go of Frisk's as he stumbled forward a couple steps. All three monsters froze, then the two on either side of Sans turned to look over their shoulders at him. He was startled by how similar they looked to himself and his brother, just with softer lines and clean, unmarred bones. Sans was shaking faintly, and Papyrus cursed under his breath at the site, even as he marveled over his brother even being there.  
  
Thankfully, before anything could even happen, Frisk decided to take charge. They were always alarmingly good at keeping their head in any situation. This didn't even appear to phase the little ambassador. "Right. Our front walk is not a good place to talk, edgyskellie," they chided playfully, breaking the mood that had settled over them all. The other tall skeleton snorted ungracefully, shoulders shaking. Papyrus slapped a hand over his face to hide the faint blush at Frisk using that undignified nickname in front of other monsters... but it had also seemed to have done the trick of calming Sans as well, because now instead of his bones rattling in that painfully familiar fearful way, his shoulders appeared to be shaking in silent, restrained laughter. That was... good.  
  
He watched gratefully as Frisk charged ahead, unlocking the front door and opening it. "Alright, everyone in. You three who I don't know, go sit on the couch. We can do proper introductions once everyone is settled." The three skeletons shared faintly baffled looks, but followed Frisk's commands without complaint. "And you, Papyrus... one of those three was Sans? Really?" Papyrus nodded. "Right then. You aren't going to blow this chance. First, we're going to start with refreshments, then introductions just to get them out of the way... then you are going to do what you've wanted since I freed you all." They smiled reassuringly at him, and he offered a shaky smile back.  
  
He drew in a steadying breath, taking comfort from Frisk's confident aura, then followed them inside. He headed straight for the kitchen, getting five glasses of water... and a bottle of mustard set on a tray. It wasn't much in the way of refreshments, and Frisk would probably be a little bit annoyed at him for only getting water, but he had no idea what the two strange skeletons would want, and he didn't feel all that hungry, his magic already churning with nerves. His brother, whom he'd thought dead for the past ten years, was sitting on his couch between two strange, soft monsters he'd never seen before. He had no idea what to think right now. He carried the tray out to the living room, getting a disapproving, but then knowing look from Frisk on the way.  
  
He didn't miss the way Sans' eyelights (white, instead of crimson) brightened at the sight of the mustard bottle on the tray as Papyrus set it down. He took that moment to really take in his brother, tail swaying behind him. Sans looked... good. His golden tooth had been replaced and it now looked like he'd never lost that tooth in the first place. His fangs looked a little less sharp, too, and the cracking around his right eye looked less deep. He was sweating a bit, a nervous look on his face, but there was no nervous tenseness to his body, sandwiched between the two other skeletons, who each appeared to have one of Sans' hands clasped in theirs. Well, that certainly explained why he hadn't reached for the mustard bottle, despite how he'd looked upon seeing it. Frisk cleared their throat pointedly, and Papyrus jumped, startled.  
  
"Oh, uh, right," he mumbled, shaking his head before focusing. Introductions. "I do believe we should start with introductions, since I only know one of you, and none of you know my partner. My name is Papyrus, which... I'm sure you're all well aware. This is Frisk, ambassador for monsters and humans, and the one that freed us all from the Underground ten years ago." Papyrus shot said human a fond smile, and when he looked back at the trio on the couch, Sans' eyes were wide, looking back and forth between him and Frisk.  
  
"...you..." Sans paused, swallowing audibly. "you look... happy," he murmured, then shook his head, eyes now on the human who, when Papyrus looked back at them, was smiling reassuringly at Sans. They had the gentlest of expressions on their face, the one they saved for nervous humans meeting some of the scarier monsters for the first time. Sans laughed slightly. "i'm sans," he started, obviously saying as such for Frisk's benefit, who smiled a bit wider and nodded. And then Sans was grinning in amusement. "this little blueberry next to me is _also_ sans," he paused to motion to the slightly smaller skeleton with the wide blue eyes with their joined hands, "and this is papyrus," he finished, laughing weakly at the likely startled looks on Papyrus and Frisk's faces. "yeah, i know. it's a weird situation. call me red from now on, though. that's my name now," he told them, and Papyrus caught sight of the two squeezing Sans'... no, Red's hands comfortingly.  
  
"..." Papyrus sighed, sitting with a thump in one of the oversized armchairs they kept for when the king and queen would come for dinner. The plushness of the chair even kept him from hurting his tail when he sat heavily on it. "I thought you were dead..." he started, and Red flinched, not looking at him. He could understand that. "No, honestly, I understand why you never came back..." he sighed, raking a hand over his skull, "I was horrible to you, and I could completely understand if you're never willing to forgive me... in fact, I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but... I wanted to apologize anyway. I'm sorry, Sans. I was a horrible brother." Papyrus closed his eyes, dropping his head. He could hear bones rattling from the couch, but he didn't look up. Let whatever happened, happen.  
  
Red was startled by his younger brother's apology, and he glanced over at the human, Frisk, who was perched casually in a chair that looked like it was made for Queen Toriel. Papyrus' chair looked like it'd been made for King Asgore, though, and made his tall younger brother look like a babybones. He'd be laughing about it later, he was sure, but for now, the stress and confusion that had built up and set his bones faintly rattling was squashing down the humour. He'd not been expecting the Underground to be mostly cleared out when they got there. He hadn't been expecting to be told by a grumpy Gyftrot that most monsters had moved up to the surface ten years prior, that a little human had gone and cheerfully befriended everyone before breaking the barrier.  
  
Honestly, the story was astonishing, but the proof was in the growing, sprawling city he and his lovers found when they exited Mt. Ebott. The hilarious part was that the city was exactly like the one he lived in now, down to the exact placement of a familiar house. Of course, this one was lacking the year-round Christmas decorations, but there was still no mistaking it. And then his baby brother had turned up with the human in question, who, frankly, looked a lot like Chara, the kid who'd set them free in the universe he'd come to call home. He let out a breath, releasing the tension that had grown at Papyrus' apology. He'd changed, a lot. Red smiled softly, shooting a grateful look at the human, who he just knew had a lot to do with Papyrus' turn around, then aimed his smile at Papy and Blue, squeezing their hands before standing. They let him go, but he could feel the wary looks on his back as he crossed to stand in front of his little brother.  
  
"honestly, pap... i'd already forgiven you a long time ago... but it means a lot to hear that now," he murmured softly, then leaned down just enough to wrap his baby brother in a hug. Papyrus froze for a moment, then slowly lifted his arms to hug Red back, holding him loosely. He smiled shakily, grateful for his brother seeming to know to not leave him feeling trapped. Papyrus was shaking faintly, and Red realized with a shock that his little brother was crying. A feeling of warmth settled into his bones, and he found himself smiling gently and petting his brother's skull soothingly. He felt a little like he'd stepped back in time, to when he and Papyrus were just kids, Papyrus crying into his shoulder after a bad day. Life hadn't been good back then, but it was better than... well.  
  
They stayed like that for a bit, the sound of quiet conversation filtering in around them, though it went unheeded until Papyrus had cried himself out, simply quietly resting his head on Red's shoulder. "you okay now, bro?" he asked, so quiet only Papyrus would hear. Papyrus slowly nodded and carefully pulled away, wiping his eyes with his shirt sleeves. It didn't help much and Red chuckled, surprised at how relaxed he now felt. Sure, seeing his brother brought on a lot of bad memories... but at the same time, maybe he was more okay than he thought after such an extended time. Or maybe it was seeing just how much time and freedom (and likely the little human looking so very pleased in the other massive armchair) had changed him. Either way, he felt... okay. Not perfect, but not bad, either. He let his brother go completely and stepped back, only to have his arm snagged loosely by Frisk.  
  
"How long are you and your friends staying?" they asked, canting their head.  
  
Red sighed. "i, uh... honestly? i wasn't exactly expecting to find boss-" he was cut off when Papyrus tugged on his jacket sleeve. Startled from what he was saying by the gentleness of the motion, he glanced over at his brother, confused.  
  
"Please don't call me that. I..." He refused to look at Red, and a wave of understanding passed over the smaller brother. He smiled, patting Papyrus' hand, then turned back to Frisk.  
  
"as i was saying, i wasn't expecting pap to be, well... like this." Frisk nodded in understanding. Red got the feeling Frisk knew pretty much exactly what Papyrus was like before. "it's like actually having my brother back again. but..." He sighed, glancing over at his lovers, who were silently listening. They wouldn't butt in at all. What ever he decided was his choice and they'd respect it, he knew. "this isn't my home anymore. it hasn't been for a long time." Papyrus' hand tightened on Red's sleeve, and he gave it a gentle squeeze. "i wouldn't mind staying for a bit, but in the end, there's too much between papyrus and i. my home is with blue and papy now."  
  
Frisk nodded in understanding, then smiled cheerily. "You can at least stay for dinner though, right? And... maybe come visit every now and again? I'd like to have the chance to get to know my partner's brother, if that's okay."  
  
Red beamed. "yeah, i think we can do that. don't expect us to announce any visits we make, though. we kinda have no choice but to drop in unannounced," he replied with a laugh.  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"the distance is a... little much for a phone call." Red looked back at Papy and Blue, who were both giving him proud and supportive looks. This was still his show, though. "like... an entire universe away. i'll explain over dinner."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...it's still not canon, but i wanted more fluff, dammit! lmao  
>  just don't expect me to add any more to this. i wrote this part on a whim. orz

There was something different about his brother. Well, aside from the fact that he'd apparently spent the past ten years living in an alternate universe, of all things, and an extremely peaceful one at that, if he were to be believed. Honestly, Papyrus was a little bit jealous... but if he were honest (and the Great and Terrible Papyrus had made honesty something to strive for at all times, now that his world was safe and no one would stab you in the back for such things), he knew, of anyone in their horrible world, Sans (Red, he reminded himself) deserved that peace.  
  
No, it was something else. The way he stood, how his smile looked so real all the time (instead of the grimace that passed for a grin in the past), how it softened at the edges when the other Sans and Papyrus were in his line of sight. There was something different... some thing _more_ , and he couldn't, for the life of him, puzzle out what it was.  
  
Papyrus made a quiet, frustrated sound, only to frown when Red jumped and looked his way with widened sockets. There was fear in his expression that made Papyrus' soul sink in his chest, but it also gave him the answer he sought as the other universe versions of him and his brother, who hadn't even been in the house with them until that moment, seemed to suddenly materialize out of nowhere, the other Sans standing protectively between him and Red, and the other Papyrus wrapping his arms around Red, petting his skull soothingly.  
  
"What did you do?" Blue demanded, and Papyrus held up his hands, backing away a step as realization dawned on him. They were bonded. The three of them. It was no wonder why Red saw the other universe as home now. That's where his bondmates lived.  
  
"i-it's okay, blue... bro didn't do anything to me," Red managed, laughing weakly. "it was just... instinctive response, i guess." Papyrus watched as his older brother sighed, shaking his head and pulling away from the other Papyrus (or Rus, as he'd mentally deemed him, even as Blue and Rus were calling him 'Edge' of all things) and looking over at him. "what's got you so frustrated, anyway?"  
  
Papyrus scratched the back of his skull, sighing. "I was trying to figure out what was so different about you, aside from the obvious. Frankly, it was driving me a little crazy," he told his brother, then he smiled. "While I didn't mean to scare you, it did give me the answer I was looking for." He paused, met with expectant looks from all three of them, and he nearly laughed. "You three are bonded, aren't you?" he asked. The flushes of colour on all three faces were answer enough, even if he hadn't already known that that would be the case.  
  
"...how'd you figure it out?" Rus asked, clearly trying to push back his orange flush.  
  
Papyrus grinned, watching as Blue fell in beside the other two, going from protective mode to holding Red's hand, something Papyrus noted over the past few hours that the two alternates did to his brother a lot. "It wasn't hard to pick up on it when the two of you appeared out of nowhere to protect and comfort my brother pretty much the moment I accidentally scared him. I know for a fact that you two were outside with Frisk, and I would have heard if you came back in." The sound of the front door swinging loudly open and banging closed proved his point, and Rus flushed orange again.  
  
"Papyrus? Blue? Are you two in here?" Frisk's voice called, and then they peeked into the kitchen, canting their head. "Everything okay?"  
  
"Yes, Frisk, everything is fine. I accidentally scared S-...Red." Frisk raised an eyebrow at Papyrus' response, and he raised his hands placatingly. "I'm not going to revert back to how I was before we met, Frisk. Please, have a little more faith in me," he sighed, and Frisk nodded, leaving the room. He heard the front door open and close again and relaxed. If Frisk was going back to their garden, they clearly weren't upset at him.  
  
He was startled from his thoughts as he heard an undignified snort of laughter, and he looked over to find Rus and Blue staring after Frisk with amusement, and Red's eyelights on him while the smaller snickered. "...what?"  
  
"so... when can we expect you and your little human to get hitched?" Red asked, trying to affix a serious expression on his face, and utterly failing. This time, it was Papyrus' turn to blush, his cheekbones turning a hot, bright red.


End file.
